Rib and chest X-ray cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 26 hospitals list a cash price for rib X-ray, one side, with a chest view, 3 or more views: from $165.81 to $1,817.00, with a median of $433.50. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $267.69 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $376.60 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 26 facilities across 19 cities for code 71101, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 15, 2025 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Radex Ribs Uni W/Posteroant Ch Minimum 3 Views File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $165.81 | $368.46 | $62.86–$394.86 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg Radex Ribs Uni W/Posteroant Ch Minimum 3 Views File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $184.87 | $410.82 | $62.86–$475.07 | 55% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare one side Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC X-Ray Exam of Ribs/Chest 3+ Views Unilat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $245.00 | $350.00 | $80.85–$530.75 | 30% |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham, MA · (508) 679-3131 HC X-Ray Ribs- Chest 3+ Vw File of Dec 15, 2025 · source file | $264.00 | $528.00 | $75.85–$411.86 | 50% |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham one side Needham, MA · (781) 453-3002 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $285.00 | $285.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton one side Milton, MA · (617) 696-4600 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $287.00 | $287.00 | — | — |
| Tufts Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC X-Ray Exam of Ribs/Chest 3+ Views Unilat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $296.10 | $423.00 | $111.08–$559.77 | 30% |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg Radex Ribs Uni W/Posteroant Ch Minimum 3 Views File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $326.25 | $725.00 | $32.04–$616.25 | 55% |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 X-Ray Ribs Chest 3+ Vw File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $364.00 | $520.00 | $520.00 | 30% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 XRAY; RIBS UNI W/PA CHEST (LT)+1 more line at this price File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $376.60 | $538.00 | $41.89–$298.59 | 30% |
| Emerson Hospital one side Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 RIGHT RIBS W/PA CXR+1 more line at this price File of May 18, 2026 · source file | $384.00 | $512.00 | $67.98–$512.00 | 25% |
| Cambridge Health Alliance one side Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Ribs, Unilat W/ Chest-3 Views File of Mar 20, 2026 · source file | $390.00 | $390.00 | $45.70–$805.60 | — |
| Mount Auburn Hospital one side Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $424.00 | $424.00 | — | — |
| Anna Jaques Hospital one side Newburyport, MA · (978) 463-1000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $443.00 | $443.00 | — | — |
| New England Baptist Hospital one side Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $452.00 | $452.00 | — | — |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington one side Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $465.00 | $465.00 | — | — |
| Winchester Hospital one side Winchester, MA · (781) 729-9000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $466.00 | $466.00 | — | — |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston one side Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 X-RAY EXAM UNILAT RIBS/CHEST File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $479.30 | $479.30 | $38.34–$817.41 | — |
| Lowell General Hospital one side Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC X-Ray Exam of Ribs/Chest 3+ Views Unilat File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $532.00 | $760.00 | $48.28–$760.00 | 30% |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth one side Plymouth, MA · (508) 746-2000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $597.00 | $597.00 | — | — |
| Exeter Hospital one side Exeter, NH · (603) 778-7311 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $691.00 | $691.00 | — | — |
| Plaistow Fser one side Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 XR RIBS UNI W/CXR 3+V LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $750.75 | $750.75 | $23.20–$713.21 | — |
| Parkland Medical Center one side Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 XR RIBS UNI W/CXR 3+V RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $750.75 | $750.75 | $23.20–$713.21 | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $914.00 | $914.00 | — | — |
| Portsmouth Regional Hospital one side Portsmouth, NH · (603) 436-5110 XR RIBS UNI W/CXR 3+V RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,817.00 | $1,817.00 | $74.86–$1,726.15 | — |
| Dover Emergency Room one side Dover, NH · (603) 436-5110 XR RIBS UNI W/CXR 3+V LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,817.00 | $1,817.00 | $74.86–$1,726.15 | — |
| Seabrook Emergency one side Seabrook, NH · (603) 436-5110 XR RIBS UNI W/CXR 3+V LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,817.00 | $1,817.00 | $74.86–$1,726.15 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $165.81, median $433.50, highest $1,817.00 — a 11.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 20 facilities here, median $387.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 10 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This study takes pictures of the ribs on one side plus a front view of the chest. The chest view checks the lungs for a collapsed lung or bleeding after a rib injury.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers taking the X-ray. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.